Dame Judi Dench Opens up about scandal

Dame Judi Dench has revealed she is finding the sexual harassment scandal “very hard” as some of her “great friends” are among those accused.

The actress addressed the ongoing situation at the premiere of Murder on the Orient Express, telling reporters of her difficulty to stay close to those who have acted appallingly.

Speaking to Sky News she said: “It is scandalous, but it’s very hard when a lot of people concerned are great friends of yours too.

“I feel loyal to them and at the same time I feel appalled by what happened to a lot of young actresses who had no way of getting out of it.”

Dench – who plays Princess Dragomiroff in the murder-mystery – said the scandal is “getting a bit out of hand” and that people need to “behave better”.

Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Dustin Hoffman and Harvey Weinstein are among those who have had accusations levelled against them.

Dench previously worked with Weinstein on Mrs Brown, Philomena and Shakespeare in Love, for which she won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I.

She once claimed she was so close to the now disgraced Hollywood producer that she got a temporary tattoo of his initials on her bottom.

Her latest comments come weeks after she publicly condemned Weinstein, claiming she was “completely unaware” of the “horrifying” alleged sexual abuse offences.

Weinstein has been accused of harassment, assault and rape by scores of high profile actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Rose McGowan. He has denied any claims of non-consensual sex.